


A Little Too Not Over You

by Shadow_Warriour



Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst, Drama, Fluff, M/M, Teacher AU, mini chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-27
Updated: 2018-06-18
Packaged: 2019-05-14 07:35:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14765322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadow_Warriour/pseuds/Shadow_Warriour
Summary: Sasuke, the new science teacher at Konoha High, has had his eye out for a certain blonde. The more Naruto resists, the more he wants him. Unfortunately, there is a huge obstacle in his way. One Sasuke isn't sure how to overcome.--Teacher AU--(Switches back and forth between Naruto and Sasuke's POV; 3rd person)





	1. Chapter 1

“Sometimes… we think we know a person,” Naruto mused, twirling an expo marker between his fingers. He paused to survey each and every one of his students. “Only to find out that we were fooled.” 

He popped off the cap, and turning to the whiteboard, “Someone tell me what they think a relationship is built on?”

One of his students yelled ‘love,’ another said ‘care.’ Naruto scribbled them along as they were each announced, the list growing longer until one of his students finally said, “Trust.”

He stopped, turning back around to face his class. “Trust—that’s right.” He traded the marker for the book on his desk, raising it up and tapping on the front cover, “A relationship is built on trust, right?”

His class nodded. 

“And trust allows us to let down our guard and connect to the other person. Yeah?”

Everyone murmured in agreement. Naruto continued, “When that trust is broken, you guys know what happens?”

Konohamaru raised his hand. “Feelings get hurt!”

“Yup,” Naruto affirmed. “Feelings get hurt. You can become overwhelmed with disappointment and stress… or even fear.”

“W-why would you get scared?” Udon asked, rubbing his nose.

“Well… you can get scared of having a relationship fall apart like that again,” he answered. “But we’re getting ahead of ourselves here, Gatsby never got to that point.”

“No, he just got shot for being too trusting,” Moegi voiced, shaking her head.

Naruto shifted his attention to the red haired member of the Konohamaru-Udon-Moegi trio. “How do you think he was too trusting?”

She opened her mouth, but the bell rang, all eagerness to learn out the window as students shoved their books into their bags. “Hold on! Hold on!” Naruto yelled out amongst the chorus of zippers, “Let’s finish this thought!” 

“Aw, c’mon Naruto, it’s lunch time!” Konohamaru whined, his bag now strapped to his back, and feet restless to leave.

“It’s Mr. Uzumaki to you, brat,” Naruto reminded him for the thousandth time. “Everyone sit down one minute—trust is trust, so how can you be too trusting?”

“Because—” Naruto’s ears pricked at the familiar voice coming from the doorway, his body tensing. “His trust made him naive.”

The class grew still. As they did every time their science teacher made his appearance into tenth grade English. They sensed the weird tension between their professors, but no one said anything out of fear of Mr. Uchiha. The man had a history for harsh grading—and it had only been three months since he’d been working at Konoha High. 

Naruto ignored the turmoil in his stomach. Did the guy read every book on the damn syllabus? This was the tenth time the stupid teme disturbed his class, but as usual he couldn’t get any words to come out of his mouth. _Great._

The sadistic bastard just watched him looking like a deer in the headlights, until finally, he announced, “Class dismissed.”

Students practically flew out of the room, the noise finally releasing Naruto from his trance. “Don’t forget your final paper is due after break!” he yelled out before they all made their escape. He spun around, ignoring the Uchiha, and attempted to find something to busy himself with. From his periphery, he could see Sasuke closing the distance between them, and he frantically grabbed the few papers on his desk, shuffling them together and bypassing the man, who caught his wrist, bringing him to a screeching halt.

“Dobe.” 

He hated it when Sasuke called him that; it sent him into a whirlwind of memories that left him nauseous every time.

“What do you want?” he said, his speech finally returning to him. He glared at the hand clasped around his wrist, which Sasuke immediately dropped, sliding his own into his pant pocket. “You shouldn’t wait till the end of class to remind them of their assignments.”

“I know how to teach a class, teme,” Naruto huffed, marching out of the room, Sasuke easily following beside him. “I don’t need any help from you.”

“Hn.”

Naruto didn’t need to see Sasuke to tell there was a giant ass smirk on his face. He  _really_ didn’t want to have to deal with him today. Trying to create some distance, he walked faster but Sasuke had no problem keeping up.

“Do you need something?” Naruto snapped, regretting the words as soon as they left him. They had just walked into the teacher’s lounge, and Sasuke chose this moment to announce, “Have dinner with me.”

The silence was enough to stop Naruto’s heart. Thankfully, his phone beeped, diverting his attention. He pulled it open, and sent back a quick reply to the text he received, turning briefly to Sasuke and saying, “I have plans.”

Snickers could be heard echoing within the room, along with the sound of underhanded bets being dealt amongst the faculty present. Naruto was fully aware they made wagers to how he’d respond to a certain raven’s habitual proposals for a date. This wasn’t the first time Sasuke asked him out, especially in public. Unfortunately, Sasuke chose today to be… _extra_ persistent.

“With who?” he demanded, a hush falling over the room again.

Naruto froze, eyes bulging at the aggressive tone. What should he say? What _could_ he say? Wait—no. He didn’t have to answer to him. Since when was Sasuke entitled to know everything about Naruto’s life? Wasn’t he tired of being rejected every week? Did he have no shame? Did he not give a shit how this was affecting him? Naruto’s horror quickly switched to anger.

“That’s my business,” he said. Sasuke just stared at him unimpressed, then scoffed, sauntering up to him like a predator about to feast on his prey until he was barely an inch across. “Oh, really?”

Naruto forgot to breathe. Where did all that attitude go?

“I don’t believe you,” Sasuke jabbed.

Naruto knew he was doing this just to get under his skin, and he tried to not to fall for the bait but he was too simple minded and already far too riled up at this point—”Fuck you, Uchiha. I said I have plans!”  

His phone beeped again. He pulled it out, but Sasuke bumped his arm, the small flip-phone slipping out of his hands and into the grasp of the Uchiha. “I’ll ask again.”

Naruto wasn’t sure if he was about to faint from panic or explode from rage. Sasuke held the phone up in front of him. “With _who_?”

“With me,” a voice answered from behind.

As if his soul was sucked out of his body, Naruto watched every part of Sasuke freeze up, the realization flashing on his face as he matched the voice to the name on Naruto’s caller ID.

“Foolish little brother.”


	2. Chapter 2

_With me._

_Foolish little brother._

Sasuke clawed the paper beneath his hand, eyes shooting lasers at the photograph of Itachi hanging on the kitchen wall.

He was pissed.

How did this occur? How did they even meet? Why in the world would Naruto want to have lunch with Itachi?! He’d been sitting in the same position for hours trying to piece together the events that led to the chaos that unraveled today.

That satan of a brother did not even bother to _inform_ him that the two of them were acquaintances.

Sasuke had been waiting for him to get home so he could figure out what the hell happened twelve hours prior—all in front of the gossiping cackle of hyenas he worked with.

Not that he cared.

Sasuke never felt an ounce of emotion in regards to anybody outside his family. They could make up all the stories they wanted about what went down in the faculty lounge—and he was well aware the various accounts were already circulating—but he would still go about his life as if his brother didn’t actually interrupt the lunch hour to embarrass him for his own unadulterated satisfaction.

_Sadistic piece of—_

“Shit—” his arm jerked back having caught a glimpse of the paper his fingers had been digging into.

Sighing, he attempted to smooth out the angry lines he’d carved into one of his student’s homework assignments. The amount of red markings he’d left on the assignment made it even worse. The kid was probably going to think he was out to get him.

He considered leaving a small note of encouragement when the sound of squeaky hinges from the garage made their way to his ears, ceasing his efforts.

Itachi was home.

Sasuke methodically spread out the stack of papers neatly placed to his right and assumed a position of deep concentration. He’d finished hours ago, but like hell would he make it seem as if he was up this late doing anything but. He flipped some of the graded papers over, out of his brother’s sharp line of sight, the door going in from the garage barely opening a second later.

“Sasuke,” Itachi greeted with mild surprise. “You’re still awake?”

Sasuke briefly glanced his way in acknowledgement, then focused back on his student’s homework, hand subtly covering the corner where he had already written in their score.

“I wanted to finish grading everything by tonight,” he replied. Seemed like a believable excuse, tomorrow was the first day of thanksgiving break and it’s not like Itachi knew how much work he had to complete. “Why are you so late?”

Itachi set down his doctor’s bag, “Emergency patient right before my shift ended,” he answered, walking to the cabinet and pulling out a glass.

It was silent for a moment save for the sound of water filling the empty tumbler; Sasuke took this time to garner his thoughts. He could wait for Itachi to bring it up, or maybe sift through his phone after he went to bed, or—

“You can ask,” Itachi voiced, turning around and catching a stroke of horror flash across Sasuke’s face before he schooled it into a passive indifference. Sasuke mentally berated himself for having lost control of his expressions. It was always a competition with Itachi.

He casually slid aside the paper and grabbed another, “Ask what?”

“Well,” Itachi began, having taken the seat across Sasuke, “Perhaps…” he slowly started collecting one paper at a time.

Sasuke slapped his hand down over them all. “ _What_ are you doing?” he said, lips pressed into a thin line.

Itachi just as easily scooted the loose-leaf composition out from beneath his hands and continued to pile them perfectly one over each other.

“Itachi,” Sasuke growled. “Save your games for later. I’m busy.”

“Busy?” Itachi smirked, leisurely perusing through the assignments in his hands. “Busy doing what? Grading assignments that have already been graded?” he said, angling one at him.

Sasuke tried not to look like a thief caught at the crime scene. He quickly snatched them back, “I made a mistake. I had to check them all again.”

Itachi’s smirk grew bigger. “ _Likely_ story.”

“It **is** ,” Sasuke emphasized, despite knowing both him and his brother were aware of the fact that he didn’t make mistakes where it involved work.

“Really now? You actually expect me to believe you’re still making corrections nine hours after school let out?”

“You don’t have to believe it,” he pushed. “I’m telling you.”

“Or perhaps…”

“ _Perhaps_ **what**?” Sasuke was quickly growing tired of this bullshit. It was late and his head was spinning.

“Perhaps you should tell me what’s really bothering you,” Itachi’s lips lifted into a knowing smile, “ _Foolish little bro—”_

 _“_ Fine!” Sasuke shouted, standing up. He had hoped for better restraint but— “For fucks sake, just tell me then.” He’d been ruminating the thought all day and unwittingly primed himself for this outburst.

“ _Why_ did _you_ have lunch with Naruto?”

How he didn’t realize the most obvious answer was beyond him.

Itachi smiled.

“We’re dating.”

 

* * *

 

Naruto shoved his buzzing phone into his coat pocket, ignoring the string of texts he’d been receiving since he made his less-than-graceful exit from the faculty lounge. He was so close to taking his phone, locking it up in a box, and burying it six feet underground.

It buzzed again.

Naruto groaned. What happened today wasn’t that big a deal, but Sasuke’s questionable engrossment with him was the most exciting thing to transpire at Konoha High in all the two years he’d been here—according to Sakura. And the entire Konoha faculty.

As if that was bad enough, now it was like a friggin’ telenovela where he became the stupid damsel in distress in a tug-of-war between the Uchiha brothers— this scenario being the courtesy of a particular art teacher who took the time to draw it out and send it in their friends’ group chat. Along with a lot more… graphic art pieces that would probably get him fired.

_Fucking Sai._

How did his life always become so twisted. He just wanted to settle down, work this job for a few years, maybe get another cat.

He pulled out the extra key under the doormat outside his two bedroom house and slid it into the keyhole.

Could he not get some peace for two minutes?

Thoughts still circulating, he entered the small foyer, kicked his shoes off to the side, and headed straight for the tv room. He wanted nothing more right now than to relax.

_Bzzzzzz_

_“_ Jesus fudging Chri _—_ ” he stopped mid sentence, sucking in the scream that was about to expel.

“Welcome back,” Gaara voiced, seated in the corner recliner with Kyuubi curled up in his lap. Naruto let out a breath.

He knew he never should have showed him The Godfather.

“Is it that hard to turn on the light,” he muttered, flicking the switch and nestling into the couch beside his housemate.

Gaara shrugged, “I like the dark,” then raised his phone to show him the 347 unread text messages filling his screen.

“I know, I know,” Naruto whined, “I’ll deal with it later…”

By that, he meant never.

It was far too convenient that their friends group chat included everyone but the teme himself. Mostly because the teme _kindly_ declined the offer when Sakura asked him to join. Fortunately--or unfortunately, Naruto still hadn’t decided-- he was a member of that group chat and very much aware of _exactly_ what his friends thought about this whole ordeal. But he never gave them any details… which led them to prod even more. The only one who knew everything was Gaara.

“Do you plan to tell them?”

Naruto snorted, “And have them ask a million more questions? No thanks.”

“They won’t.”

“Gaara, you can’t threaten them.”

“It’s effective.”

Rolling his eyes, Naruto switched on the television and started flipping through the channels. There were times he wondered how Gaara wound up teaching high school sophomores when his family was in one way or another connected to the mafia. On the plus side, having the man next to him scared off any person that even looked his way with the slightest animosity.

Of course, the teme never did anything to show he felt that way, but regardless, Gaara did not like Sasuke Uchiha.

“Kiba sent a video,” he announced. Naruto craned his neck towards the redhead and did a double take.

“Wait what?!” he said, leaping off his couch and squatting on the recliner arm, face hovering over Gaara’s phone.

“It’s of you,” Gaara replied, not the least fazed by his proximity. “From today.”

“Holy ducking shit, I’m going to kill Kiba!”

“I could arrange that.”

Naruto weighed the option for a moment, then aggressively shook his head, “No, I’ll kill the mutt myself, just get rid of the stupid video!”

Gaara nodded, fingers typing without any hesitation while Naruto went on muttering how he couldn’t believe his fellow co-workers actually had the gall to share that video. And post it in the same chat with Gaara. But mostly he wanted kill Kiba for recording it in the first place.

Though, it _would_ have been fine. It would have all been fine.

But then he fell.

Right after Itachi made his entry, Naruto’s heart was pounding so hard, he tried to make a quick getaway but tripped over his own feet and like the damsel in distress Sai depicted, Itachi swooped in and saved him from an epic disaster. And a lifetime worth of embarrassment.

“It’s done.”

Naruto looked back at the phone screen, noting the last message—something short of a threat but enough to have the video deleted from every device on their campus. He sighed in relief.

“Thanks.”

Gaara ‘hmm’d’ in response, setting his phone aside, and shifting his attention to the tv. After a second, he said, “You know he was watching you.”

“Who was?” Naruto said, moving back to his couch. He could feel the exhaustion creeping over him.

“Uchiha,” Gaara replied.

Brows scrunched, he turned back to face the redhead. “Whaddaya mean?”

“Sasuke, his eyes never left you from the moment Itachi stepped into the room till the moment you both left.”

“Yeah, well that’s the problem,” Naruto said, pulling a blanket over himself. “He needs to look away.”

“You could have told him.”

“Tell him what? That me and Itachi are dating?” Naruto scoffed.

“At least he would have stopped asking you out.”

“He deserves finding out this way,” Naruto mumbled.

“Deserves?”

“You know what I mean…” Naruto shook his head, pushing aside the surfacing emotions. “Anyways, I figured Itachi would have told him.”

“If Itachi had, the same sequence of events wouldn’t be the result of this afternoon.”

Naruto bit his lip.

He knew that too.

He just pretended not to...

 

_He could feel Itachi’s gaze on him. He took another bite of his chicken Parmesan while Itachi quietly swirled the contents of his wine glass, taking a few sips every so often._

_“I’m sorry, Naruto.”_

_Naruto’s head jerked up. “W-what?”_

_“I didn’t realize my brother was so tenacious,” he said, putting down his drink. “Nor was it my intention to complicate things with my arrival this afternoon.”_

_Naruto bit down on his lip. “It’s okay, it’s not your fault.”_

_Itachi reached across the table and took his hand, placing a gentle kiss on its backside. “It was only out of respect to your privacy I didn’t tell him, but if he’s done_ anything _to make you uncomfortable—”_

_Naruto immediately raised his hands, waving it off, “No, no, I’m okay! Really, I am...”_

_Itachi leaned back, waiting for him to continue._

_“I… was a little confused for a moment since ya know… everyone was there,” Naruto said, “But I’m fine! It’s my own fault for not saying anything when Sasuke asked me out the first time.”_

_"Why didn’t you?”_

_“H-huh?” Naruto stuttered, caught off guard by the pointed question._

_“Why didn’t you tell him?”_

_“I-I…” Naruto panicked. He wasn’t sure himself so how would he begin to answer that. “I—”_

_“Sir, shall I bring dessert?”_

_Naruto tried not to look so relieved, Itachi’s eyes never leaving him even while he ordered a series of sweets._

_The waiter left and it became quiet again. Itachi didn’t probe about Naruto’s inability to answer his question, but the small smile resting on his face left Naruto wondering._

_“Naruto,” Itachi finally spoke after they both consumed every last bit of dessert—Naruto had learned over time that both he and Itachi had a bit of a sweet tooth, but what he also learned was that Itachi was just as unpredictable as he was._

_“I’d like for you to meet my parents.”_

 

* * *

 

“What do you mean… dating?”

“I understand your experience with relationships is lacking,” Itachi said, amusement evident as day, “But I certainly hope you’re not so lacking as to require an instructional on dating.”

“Fuck you, Itachi, I know what dating is!” Sasuke wasn’t even sure why he was so mad. It wasn’t like his brother wasn’t allowed to date Naruto, nor did Sasuke have any claims on the dobe… But fuck, why did Itachi have to like the same guy he did?!

Now that he lost the few scraps of pride left of him, he didn’t bother to hold back the questions. “How did you two meet?”

“On the plane from Kumo to Konoha. He had a connecting flight from Uzu.” Itachi smiled. “If you weren’t so stubborn about leaving at a later date, you would know this.”

“I like to travel alone,” Sasuke said. Because he refused to fly with Itachi. The man had a history of targeting him for his own enjoyment, especially when the air hostesses came around. “Besides, you and Naruto couldn’t have met unless he—”

“Booked a first class seat?” Itachi raised a brow. “You underestimate him, dear brother... just like you did once before."

Sasuke's heart stopped. He didn't bother validating that statement with a response, instead, "Tch, that doesn’t change the fact he’s on a teacher’s salary.”

"He saved for two years so he could finance his very first vacation," Itachi countered. "There's a lot about him that is humbling.”

“Whatever,” Sasuke muttered. His mood was quickly declining, and he didn’t want to talk about the dobe anymore. He slowly started gathering the papers he’d scattered, needing something to distract himself. He heard Itachi sigh and get up after a few minutes to wash his glass, returning it back to the cabinet after drying it.

Before he left, “One more thing.”

Sasuke kept his gaze on the counter. 

“He’ll be joining us for Thanksgiving dinner.”

 


	3. Chapter 3

Naruto started fidgeting, pulling at his collar. It felt tight. He needed to breathe.

“Relax, Naruto,” Itachi placed his hand over his, “There’s nothing for you to fear.”

“I know,” Naruto mumbled, but despite Itachi’s words, the butterflies relentlessly beat against his stomach, anxiety increasing the closer they got to the Uchiha household.

“Tell me,” he spoke gently. “What concerns you?”

Naruto wasn’t sure. This was his first time actually having a legitimate relationship, one that lasted long enough to meet the parents. He’d been seeing Itachi a little over three months now, and being an amateur in this department, he didn’t really know the normal time span one must date before the parents are told. But for some reason, it felt like they were moving really fast.

“Is it Sasuke?”

Naruto’s eyes sprung wide. “N-no! It’s not him!”

Or maybe it was. Just hearing his name sent the butterflies go from beating to quaking.

“I may have brought this on you too soon,” Itachi said, a hint of regret in his voice. “I would be more than happy to spend thanksgiving with just the both of us, if you wish to meet them another time.”

Naruto shook his head. He knew Itachi was looking forward to this, and he’d already said yes. He wasn’t that much of a baby that he couldn’t face the teme. Plus, he had a slight upper hand this time; Sasuke was the one who had reason to be embarrassed.

“No, I want to meet them,” Naruto pressed, pushing down his nerves. “It’s not like I haven’t met them before.”

It was true. This wasn’t his first time in the Uchiha manor. There was a time when he used to be a frequent visitor… but that was long ago.

He saw Itachi smile from the corner of his eye.

“That’s right,” he said. “And they still adore you.”

Naruto blinked. “...They do?”

Itachi chuckled, glancing his way. “Why wouldn’t they? You’re very lovable.”

He winked and Naruto nearly melted. It sometimes amazed him to think Itachi Uchiha had asked him out; the man possessed sinful beauty. But his dating Itachi Uchiha didn’t change some things.

Some things being his history… with Sasuke.

“We’re here.”

 

* * *

 

Sasuke wiped down another plate, setting it in the vacant spot beside Itachi’s seat at the table—grudgingly.

He’d barely been given 48 hours to register the fact that Itachi was in a relationship with the same dobe he’d been pursuing since the start of the school year.

But he had desired him much longer than that.

Twelve years—that’s how much time passed since he last saw Naruto. He liked him then as much as he liked him now. His only mistake then was not saying so.

The bell rang just as his mother brought the turkey out to the dining table.

“They’re here,” she beamed. “Sasuke, dear, could you get that?”

Sasuke almost asked if he could excuse himself instead—for the entire night—but he’d have to face those two sooner or later. Might as well rip off the bandaid swiftly.

He turned his heel and trudged towards the main entrance, a hundred and five percent sure his face wasn’t the first Naruto wanted to greet.

But nearing the entry, he reminded himself to remain civil with his brother. He just needed to stick it out for one evening.

_Just one._

Holding his breath, he opened the door.

 

* * *

 

Naruto walked alongside Itachi, taking deep breaths to calm himself. Having been here before kept him from becoming distracted by the size and architecture of the house, and the line of luxury cars parked in the roundabout driveway, a three tier fountain brightly lit at the center.

Instead, it caused him to be more focused on his beating heart, and the thought of facing Sasuke as Itachi’s boyfriend.

 _Itachi’s_ _boyfriend…_

He was about to pull at his collar again, but Itachi took his hand, entwining their fingers. “Naruto, breath.”

They were at the door. He watched Itachi press the bell. Wait—

“You’ll be fine,” he brought their hands up, pulling Naruto closer, and leaned in, embedding a soft kiss on Naruto’s cheek.

The door opened.

Naruto’s eyes instantly met Sasuke’s, who’s directly zoned in on the kiss.

“S-Sasuke?” he said, startled, quickly withdrawing and dropping Itachi’s hand. It was silent for a total of ten seconds before Naruto witnessed the change come over Sasuke’s face.

“Naruto,” he greeted, and with slight resignation, “...Itachi.”

“Little brother.”

The air was thick with tension. Naruto had underestimated just how awkward this would be. Fortunately, Itachi had better control on things. He easily took his hand again, giving it a light squeeze of reassurance, and said, “Shall we go in?”

Naruto glimpsed at Sasuke one more time, a remote twinge of emotion hitting him. He ignored it, nodding. “Yeah, let’s go.”

 

* * *

 

Sasuke watched his mother gush over Naruto, his father coming downstairs a few minutes later, shaking Naruto’s hand and ensuing the small talk.

“Oh stop boring him, dear,” his mother cut in, “Naruto, sweetheart, come sit, you’re just in time for dinner.”

He smiled, a genuine smile, Sasuke noted, as he took his seat beside Itachi.

“Thank you for having me in your home,” Naruto said. Sasuke wanted to make a snarky comment about how his manners improved too, but he held back.

“If we knew you taught at Konoha High, we would have had you sooner--have some mashed potatoes, dear,” she said as she set down the mashed potatoes right beside him. If there’s one thing that didn’t change, it’s how much his mother loved stuffing Naruto till he was as plump as the turkey on the table. Having to deal with three men who ate the bare minimum, Naruto’s presence was a god-given gift to all her efforts in the kitchen.

Naruto added a few spoonfuls of potato onto his plate, replying with a, “Thank you, Mrs. Uchiha.”

Sasuke smirked.

“Please, call me Mikoto,” she said. “And Sasuke, honey, stop smirking. You and Itachi both knew Naruto lived in Konoha since you arrived and didn’t tell me.”

“Mother, I—“

“No excuses, Itachi,” she chided, cutting the turkey and filling Naruto’s plate. Sasuke bit down his lip to refrain from making a comment about how he was going to become a chubby fat kid again. But Naruto had done more than well in maintaining his body since freshman year of high school. His jawline was more defined, his clothes now outlining his muscles rather than the round belly that once poked out beneath his shirt.

“Naruto,” his father spoke. Sasuke could see everyone brace themselves—his father was rather forward. “What do you teach?”

He breathed out in relief, catching his mother and brother doing the same.

“I’m an English teacher for the tenth grade kids,” Naruto answered.

His father nodded his head thoughtfully. “Yes, Mikoto taught English once as well, in the same high school.”

Naruto perked up. “Really?”

“I was only there for a few years before I had Sasuke,” she smiled. “By then I decided to stay home and take care of my sweet boys.”

Sasuke smirked, sending Itachi a ‘mother loves me more’ look, to which Itachi rolled his eyes.

“Not surprisingly,” Itachi added, “Sasuke took after you and pursued education.”

“And then left for four years to go to college in Kumo,” his mother grieved. Sasuke always felt terrible for leaving.

“The program there was superior to Konoha’s,” he said. His father nodded in approval.

“There is nothing wrong with the college here,” his mother defended, and turning to Naruto, “Sweetheart, did you go to college here?”

Naruto shook his head. “I went to college in Suna—”

“Is that where you’ve been--” came out of Sasuke’s mouth before he could think. “--teaching?

Itachi gave him a look, his parents both staring at the sudden interruption. Thankfully, Naruto didn’t miss a beat—“Yeah, after college, I started off teaching at the high schools there, then applied here.”

Sasuke cautioned himself to hold back. He wished he was alone with Naruto so he could ask him all the questions on his mind. The dobe never gave him the chance at school to sit down and talk, always running out of class and avoiding him, and when he wasn’t, Gaara was strapped to his side. And now, finally, Naruto was in his home, _right_ in front of him, and he still couldn’t ask. The urge to grab his hand and bolt out of the room itched inside him.

“Did you live by yourself?” his mother inquired. The concern on her face was one he’d seen before.

“I didn’t,” Naruto said, a smile on his lips. “My last foster family adopted me and I’ve been with them till I moved back here for my current job.”

Is that why Naruto disappeared all of the blue? Because he moved away? Sasuke recalled Naruto living with his foster family in ninth grade, some middle-aged man named Mizuki… but Naruto never spoke of him much.

“And did they care well for you?” his father asked. That was surprising. He forgot how much of a soft spot his whole family had for Naruto, including his father.

“They did,” Naruto smiled warmly. “They were even better than I hoped for.”

 

* * *

 

Naruto stacked the plates, helping Mikoto clear the table after dinner despite her insistence that he’s a guest. He told her it’s the least he could do for the wonderful dinner she prepared… and also that the only way he would come more often is if she’d let him help out. That part settled it pretty quickly. So while Itachi and Mr. Uchiha left the room to discuss a patient case, he and Sasuke were left alone to help his mother.

And the quiet… made it very awkward. He honestly expected Sasuke to say something. Naruto had anticipated his family questioning his whereabouts after he suddenly stopped visiting their home after ninth grade. But the fact that they didn’t interrogate him like that, instead asking him about his well-being and his current living situation, and if he was doing okay… it made Naruto very warm inside. Warmer and happier than he felt in a long time. Unfortunately, the man standing in front of him prevented him from getting the full closure he needed to move on… from some things.

“I’ll take those,” Sasuke said, pointing to the plates he collected.

Naruto blinked, returning to reality, “Uh, Sure… here.” He handed over the dishes, their hands slightly grazing from the transfer. He thought he saw Sasuke hesitate for a moment but he abruptly pivoted towards the kitchen, leaving Naruto by himself.

_Stop it._

His heart was messing with him. He needed to go find Itachi. Sasuke’s presence took its toll on him and he could only handle it for so long. He was about to depart from the dining room when—

“Naruto,” Sasuke called. “Can I have a minute?”

Naruto halted mid-step. Should he do this? _Could_ he do this? His mind tore itself apart deciding.

“It won’t be long,” Sasuke promised, as if hearing his thoughts. Naruto sighed, “Fine.”

He convinced himself that it would be okay, throwing aside every part of his being that told him to go find Itachi. Twelve years had passed and it was time to forget the image of Sasuke that had been ingrained into Naruto’s head. He was a different person now and it was his nature to give people the benefit of the doubt.

He followed Sasuke to the secluded sitting area near the foyer by the entrance. Sasuke gestured for him to sit down, seating himself in the sofa adjacent to his.

“So…” Naruto began, not exactly sure what Sasuke wanted.

“You never told me you were dating my brother.”

Naruto scrunched his brows. This is what wanted to say? “I had no reason to.”

“You’re right,” Sasuke agreed. “You didn’t. But it would have saved you a lot of trouble.”

Naruto laughed mockingly. “Saved me the trouble? Me telling you _no_ every time you asked me out should have saved me the trouble!”

“You never explicitly said _no_ ,” Sasuke countered. “You just made excuses, always saying you had other plans.”

“And that wasn’t obvious enough of a hint?”

“Why didn’t you say no?”

“Why didn’t _you_ stop asking?” Naruto hissed. He didn’t want to get riled up, especially having come as Itachi’s guest, but Sasuke really wasn’t making this easy.

“Fine,” he replied. “I apologize for bothering you. Now tell me.”

“Wha—” Naruto stuttered. He wasn’t expecting that. “I-I, you, I—”

“Dobe, it’s a simple question,” Sasuke smirked.

“I—”

“Sasuke, don’t harass our guest,” Itachi cut in, sauntering into the room. Naruto couldn’t have been more grateful for his timing.

“Mother has taught you better manners than that.”

Naruto watched Sasuke’s brow twitch at his brother’s words, obviously not happy about being interrupted. He stood up to leave when the bell rang. And then rang again.

Sasuke lifted a brow. “More guests for me to harass?”

Naruto would have laughed if he wasn’t in such a pitiful state.

“No, _little_ brother,” Itachi said, emphasis right on the word that would trigger Sasuke. Itachi could be savage in the most subtle ways; it was as amusing as it was frightening. “Perhaps mother or father are expecting others,” he ended.

Sasuke didn’t bother with a reply, heading to the door before the bell rang for a third time.

“Come, Naruto,” Itachi smiled. “Mother made dessert for us.”

Naruto happily got up, walking beside Itachi, when he heard familiar voices.

_It couldn’t be._

“You go ahead,” he told Itachi, putting on a smile. “Gaara called a few minutes ago and said something about my cat... I’ll be right over.”

Itachi paused to assess him. “Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, yeah!” he waved it off, pulling out his phone, “You know me! I get scared about the smallest stuff when it comes to Kyuubi.”

Itachi didn’t seem to buy it, but nodded anyways, exiting the room after a second inspection. Naruto’s smile instantly dropped right after, his heart racing a thousand beats a minute. Those voices.

 _It_ really _couldn’t be._

He slowly tiptoed to the main lobby, the voices becoming louder--a mix of rowdy banter and playful comebacks intermingled with Sasuke’s occasional sassy remarks.

“I told you not to come today,” Naruto heard Sasuke say. “We have guests.”

“Aw don’t be such a spoilsport Sas,” one of them said. Naruto’s heart pounded, his breaths becoming labored.

“Yeah, we haven’t seen you forever!”

He counted the voices… there were maybe seven… eight people. He warned himself not to get closer, but his feet were moving on their own. Before he realized, he was there, his footsteps announcing himself.

Sasuke was in mid-conversation, persuading them to come another time, when he heard him behind and turned to look, “Well since you all don’t plan on leaving any time soon,” he sighed, addressing the gang, “This is Naruto. If any of you recall, he went to high school with us for a year.”

They all tilted around Sasuke to look at him—and silence.

Naruto’s didn’t sense it but he was suffocating. An agonizing pain flared throughout his whole body and air around him was sucked into a vacuum.

Vision blurring and tears threatening to escape, Naruto rushed past them all, out the door, and down the pebble pathway. He heard Sasuke call out his name but he didn’t stop. He couldn’t stop.

All this time he thought Sasuke might have realized his wrongs but he was the same. This was all part of his plan.

He kept running and running, now hearing another voice calling for him. But he just needed to get home. He needed to get away. He was so stupid… so stupid…

Voices started nearing as the world started swirling, growing fainter and fainter till the darkness finally took him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for staying patient with this story so far! I know its a tad bit confusing, all that is happening, but bare with me! All shall be revealed in due time!
> 
> Also, I apologize for some rough patches of writing. I'm trying to get back into the flow of writing and so I just write write write and don't really edit before I post. 
> 
> But I am always open to constructive criticism so if you have any suggestions for adjustments or if the characters feel OOC or anything, please let me know! 
> 
> Thank you to all of you who have left comments, kudos, and follows! You have no idea how much I appreciate them!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... I wrote a very long note detailing how this chapter is all over the place because I didn’t write it in one sitting like I usually do.... and then the page refreshed. 
> 
> Posting via phone is difficult, let me tell you guys. And also... my italicized and bolder words... didn’t transfer properly. Again, because I’m doing this over the phone. 
> 
> Blah.
> 
> Also also, this chapter came out longer than I intended. And took a darker twist. Also different from what I intended for this story.... my mind wanders. And this chapter has definitely not been edited.
> 
> Do forgive me. 
> 
> But read on anyways. Lol.

_“Naruto,” his teacher said, pointing to his test, “We need to talk about this.”_

_Naruto frowned. He knew what was coming… but it wasn’t his fault. Math was hard, and there were too many equations to memorize._

_“Sorry, Mr. Hatake,” he said, awkwardly scratching the back of his head. Knowing he was failing a class was hard enough, but having to sit down with his teacher and talk about it was simply embarrassing._

_His math teacher sighed, setting down the paper, and leaning back into his chair. “I realize it’s difficult to transition from another school, and it’s only been a few months since you began ninth grade, but—”_

_“No, I can do this!” Naruto shot up. “I’ll try harder next time, promise!”_

_“I’m sure you will,” Mr. Hatake expressed, “But this is the third exam you’ve failed, Naruto, and—”_

“ _But—”_

_“Hold on now, let me finish.”_

_“Okay, okay,” he mumbled, plopping down in his chair._

_“Since you won’t come to me for help, how about a student tutor?”_

_“What?!”—he jumped back up, “I don’t need a tutor!” Especially not someone from his class… people already knew he was the new kid, he’d rather not be known as the dumb new kid._

_Kakashi just raised a brow, giving him a ‘you don’t have a choice here’ look._

_“It’s either this or repeating the course. Do you want to go through this again?”_

_“No…” he pouted._

_“I thought so,” his teacher replied, taking out a file from his desk drawer. “Here,” he said, handing him a sheet from the folder. “This will be your tutor.”_

_Naruto took it, skimming over the schedule covering half the page to the name listed at the top._

_“Sasuke… Uchiha?”_

 

* * *

 

Naruto parted his eyelids, the world slowly coming to focus. The dimness of the room, however, was suddenly wiped out by harsh light streaming through the window—someone had opened the curtains. He winced, pulling his orange comforter over his head…. wait. His orange comforter… His orange comforter…

He was in his bedroom.

“You’re awake,” someone to his left spoke.

He narrowed his eyes, spotting bits of red. “...Gaara?” he croaked, the rough feeling uncomfortable in his throat. He tried to get up but Gaara’s hand held him down, bringing a glass of water to his lips. Naruto leaned forward, chugging it down as if he’d spent the last twenty four hours crossing the Sahara desert.

Wait, what? How long had he been out? Where was he before he—

Oh.

The feeling of vomit crawled up his throat, the memories now flooding his mind in crashing waves. He tried to get out of his bed, but Gaara’s hand remained glued to his chest, “Wait.”

“Wha—?” he choked, then swallowed the colossal lump in his throat. “What happened?”

Gaara took his hands and placed a bottle of water between them. “Drink first.”

Still parched from rousing a minute ago, he easily followed the command as Gaara spoke. “Itachi brought you home last night.”

“You were still unconscious at the time,” his friend reported, helping Naruto sit up.

“What about his family?”

Gaara shook his head. “I’m not sure. He said he brought you back after confirming you were stable.”

Naruto wondered what else might have happened while he was unconscious. He wondered if Sasuke and Itachi figured out the actual cause of it all.

“He left two hours ago.”

“Who, what?” Naruto said, lost in thought. The words became coherent a second later, “Wait—Itachi? He stayed the whole night?”

Gaara nodded.

“Why?”

“You had a panic attack.”

That’s what happened? “I… is that what Itachi said?”

“That’s what he inferred,” Gaara said, taking the glass from him and setting it on the bedside table. “He also said you received a message from me right before.”

Naruto’s eyes sprung open, “Ah, that—ya see, thing is,” he laughed nervously, “I told him you messaged about Kyuubi and that I get anxious when it comes to my cat and that—“

“Naruto,” Gaara said, arms now folded, “Why did you really have a panic attack? Was it Sasuke?”

Ah. He didn’t know… meaning Itachi and Sasuke didn’t make the connection yet... Naruto sighed in relief. “No, it wasn’t exactly Sasuke…”

Gaara raised a brow. “Explain.”

Naruto bit his lip, looking down. “They showed up,” he mumbled. “His… friends.”

“What?” Gaara’s voice sent shivers down Naruto’s spine. “They were there?”

Naruto grabbed his wrist, “Gaara, it’s fine! I’m fine. I had a moment… I’ll just talk to Sas—“

“No,” he said. “I’ll talk to Itachi.”

“No, no, no, Gaara you can’t tell Ita—“

“Why not?” his roommate inquired, the anger easily discernible on his normally passive face.

“Because,” Naruto mumbled. “He would break up with me.”

“And he’d be right in doing so,” Gaara said. “Naruto, you can’t put your health at risk like this.”

“I had _one_ panic attack!”

“And another one in the future is highly likely if you continue having a relationship with Itachi.”

“You don’t know that…” But they both did know that. Gaara didn’t have to say it, but Naruto was aware Sasuke and Itachi were a package deal. The brothers obviously wouldn’t part and nor would Naruto put Itachi in that position. But that also meant that Sasuke and those people he associated with would remain a part of the picture.

“If Sasuke is still friends with those people, then not much has changed,” Gaara said.

“It felt like it did though,” Naruto sighed. Because Sasuke had pursued him like nothing happened between them back in high school, Naruto almost thought he, too, could forget everything in the past.

 

* * *

  

“ _No, dobe,” Sasuke pressed. Naruto could see the frustration on his face. “This is the hypotenuse. You square ‘a’ and ‘b’ and then take the square root.”_

_Naruto bit down on his—actually, Sasuke’s—pencil. He should probably stop that._

_“I know, teme! I did it like you said!”_

_“No, you didn’t!” Sasuke argued. “If you did, you would have gotten the same answer as me!”_

_“Well it’s not my fault, the stupid calculator did the actual work.”_

_Sasuke groaned. “You forgot to do something then. Show me how you did it.”_

_Naruto huffed, grabbing a blank sheet of paper and doing it all over again. “This stuff is pointless,” he rambled as he wrote. “Not like I’m gonna ever use it in real life.”_

_“You could,” Sasuke said, noting his calculations. “If you became an architect or managed construction projects—though with your skills, they’d only be hiring you out of pity.”_

_Naruto stopped writing and craned his neck, finding an extremely satisfied smirk sitting on his ass of a tutor’s face. “What’d you say to me?”_

_“Are you hard of hearing too?” Sasuke mocked, far too amused for Naruto’s liking. Before Naruto got the chance to react, Sasuke took hold of his pencil, and lightly whacked him left side his head._

_“Ow! What the heck?!”_

_“You forgot to take the square root. Usuratonkachi.”_

_“What?” Naruto blinked, turning back to his paper. “Wait—no, I didn’t!” He tried to take back his pencil, but Sasuke’s hand palmed his entire face, pushing him back. “I didn’t finish ye—would ya get off!” He clasped Sasuke’s wrist, bending it, and tackled him head on, Sasuke easily using the impact to roll Naruto over and pin him down._

_“I don’t know why you even try.”_

_“Sasuke,” Itachi chided, sauntering into the room. “We don’t hurt our guests.”_

_Sasuke still didn’t let go. “I’m not hurting him… I’m teaching him a lesson.”_

_“Ha ha ha,” Naruto fake laughed underneath. “You must be sooo proud of that pun. Stupid teme.”_

_Sasuke snickered. “I’m surprised you even caught it.”_

_“Hey! I’m smarter than you think okay! It’s just math.”_

_“Hn.”_

_Naruto growled. “You got a problem, pretty boy?!” He pressed his arms against the floor and pushed his back against Sasuke, though Sasuke loosened up just in time to send Naruto flying back—“Oof!”_

_Naruto heard Itachi sigh and walk back out of the room, saying, “Mother requests both of you at the dinner table in ten minutes,” before he fell out of earshot._

_Sasuke got up and shut the door, smirking once again, “You think I’m pretty?”_

_Naruto’s face turned a furious red, “W-what? That’s n-not what I meant!”_

_“Hn.”_

_“Asshole.”_

_“Language,” Sasuke scolded._

_Seriously? Naruto raised a brow._

_“Whatever,_ butt _hole.”_

_Sasuke laughed. “Dobe.” He sat back down, pulling open the math book. “Let’s finish up.”_

 

* * *

 

The front door lock clicked open, Sasuke’s glare flashing towards the one individual he’d been expecting—Itachi.

“Sasuke, not now,” Itachi said, exhaustion weighing down both his voice and the bags under his eyes.

Sasuke normally would feel terrible for bothering his brother who’d been awake all night seeing patients—or in this case, one patient, who wore him out with more worry than others from the looks of it—but not today. Today he needed his questions answered, for his sanity’s sake.

“Yes, now,” he demanded. “I waited all night, and you didn’t even let me come with you!”

Itachi, about to pass by him, stopped mid-step and turned back. “Let you come? Pray tell, Sasuke, why would I let you come with me? So you could pester Naruto even more than you already have the moment he wakes up?”

“What?” he flared. “Are you implying this is my fault?” Sasuke didn’t bother controlling his temper anymore. He wasn’t the last one with Naruto before Naruto ran out and fainted. Itachi came running out shortly afterwards and Sasuke’s uninvited guests excused themselves not even seconds later to give his family their privacy. All Itachi made him do was go back inside to tell some bullshit excuse to his parents about Naruto having an emergency situation with his cat and needing to go home ASAP.

He was the one who had to clean up Itachi’s mess, then wait all fucking night because his lousy sibling didn’t reply to ANY of his messages.

“I’m not implying,” Itachi clarified, not the least remorseful, “You are at fault.”

“Me?” Sasuke let out a short bitter laugh. “You were the last one with him!”

“Yes, I was,” Itachi said. “But a minute after you left, he fell into distress and for whatever reason, he tried to hide it. My fault here was that I left him alone because he said he needed to make a call. So perhaps you should tell me what you interrogated him about before I walked in.”

Sasuke paused, a sinking feeling of guilt slowly overcoming him. If Itachi didn’t say anything to Naruto… was it really what he said? Naruto didn’t appear to be in any distress at the time and he’s usually an open book when it comes to his emotions.

“I…” Sasuke honestly wasn’t sure anymore. “I only asked him why he never explicitly said no to me asking him out the previous times.”

Itachi sighed, looking even more worn out than earlier. “Seriously, Sasuke?”

Sasuke’s brow twitched, the rage escalating again. “What? Just fucking tell me what I did wrong. He was fine when I asked!”

“I’m disappointed you still haven’t realized your own mistakes,” Itachi said. “Do you think I don’t know about your time in high school?”

Sasuke breath stopped for a moment. It seriously couldn’t be that. That was so long ago, and it barely progressed over the last month of ninth grade. And then Naruto moved away with his new foster family.

“What… do you mean?”

“I may have been in college at the time, but Dei was still a senior and he informed me.”

“Informed you what?” Sasuke said, emphasizing each word. He knew exactly what Itachi was referring to, and he didn’t know why he was indirectly urging Itachi to say it, but the fact that his brother was the one scolding him about something—yet again—made him extra defensive.

“That you made Naruto a target for the entire school.”

 

* * *

 

“ _Sweetheart, why don’t you just stay the night?” Sasuke’s mom asked. “It’s very late.”_

_Naruto considered staying but the consequences that would follow were enough to make him shut down that line of thought. He’d been getting tutored by Sasuke on a weekly basis for almost four months now and staying for dinner became a normal part of that routine—something that Naruto found ironic since he had mixed feelings about getting tutored by Sasuke after his first encounter with the teme (Sasuke being his typically cocky self). Naruto did a mental eye roll every time he remembered that moment._

_Today, however, and for the past week or two, the hours spent studying together had increased significantly— a clear sign that final exams were just around the corner… and Naruto was actually looking forward to their arrival. With Sasuke’s help he’d managed to go from failing to a low B—which was admirable knowing his short attention span. But he wanted that golden A on the final, and he’d been working his butt off for it. He wanted to see Sasuke’s smile when he handed him his exam._

_Naruto shook his head, zipping up his bag. “It’s okay, Mrs. Uchiha. I didn’t bring any of my sleeping stuff either.”_

_“Dobe, you can just borrow my clothes,” Sasuke said, his suggestion leaving a delicate blush on Naruto’s cheeks that he quickly shook away, denying Sasuke at the same time._

_“I gotta get home,” he said. “My foster dad is waiting for me and I told him I’d be back tonight.”_

_“Well, alright,” Mrs. Uchiha surrendered, “But take some food home with you, okay?” She waved her hand at Sasuke, “Honey, can you get the box I packed in the kitchen for Naruto?”_

_“I-it’s okay!” Naruto argued, feeling embarrassed. “I have food at home!”_

_Sasuke’s mom grabbed his cheeks and pressed a soft kiss on his forehead. He didn’t bother hiding his blush this time. “I know, dear, but you liked what I made for dinner today so much, I wanted you to take some with you.”_

_Sasuke walked back with a bag in his hands, two red and white sealed containers visible underneath. He extended them towards Naruto._

_Naruto stared for a second until Sasuke lifted his hands and placed the bag in them._

_“Thank you,” Naruto whispered, bringing them close to his chest._

_Mikoto smiled at him, “One of the boxes you can take with you to lunch tomorrow. Now, are you sure you don’t want to stay the night? Anything you need from your house we can pick up in the morning, sweetheart. You don’t have to leave.”_

_Naruto didn’t want to leave either. He loved Mrs. Uchiha. From the first day he’d entered the Uchiha manor she poured him with all the affection a mother could give._

_“I would… but my foster dad’s waiting… I’m sorry.”_

_“You don’t have to be sorry, Naruto,” she said, “But know you’re always welcome to come here and spend the night, even when you don’t have a lesson scheduled with Sasuke.”_

_He nodded, returning her smile._

_She gave him another kiss, then turned to Sasuke. “Dear, give Naruto some company on his drive back.”_

_Naruto’s eyes bulged. “No, no, i can take the bus home! It’s not that far!”_

_“Dobe, there are no buses that run at this time,” Sasuke said, grabbing his hand and dragging him towards the front door. “The car is already waiting outside.”_

_Naruto quivered at the sudden contact but quickly waved goodbye to Mrs. Uchiha before the two exited the house, Sasuke still gripping his wrist till they reached the car._

_“I could’ve walked, ya know,” Naruto mumbled, sliding into the backseat and giving the driver his address._

_“Fifteen miles?” Sasuke scoffed, as if that answered it. Naruto rolled his eyes, though he was tremendously grateful. If he walked, he wouldn’t have reached till two in the morning._

_He shrugged, looking down at his stomach; he’d gotten even chubbier this semester. “I gotta lose this weight somehow.”_

_“You’re fine the way you are.”_

_Naruto stared at Sasuke for the longest. That was possibly the nicest thing he had ever said to him. “Really?”_

_“Hn.”_

_“Even with my sucky math skills?” Naruto bit down his giggle._

_Sasuke was quiet for a minute, but then said, “You don’t actually suck at math.”_

_There were now stars in Naruto’s eyes. This was more nice than he could handle. “Are you being serious?”_

_“Hn,” Sasuke replied. “You’re a fast learner with the right methods.”_

_“Yeah?” Naruto said shyly. “...I guess that’s true.”_

_“It is,” Sasuke confirmed._

_“...Thanks.”_

_The houses were passing and they were nearing Naruto’s neighborhood when Sasuke asked, “What do you like?”_

_Naruto’s heart skipped a beat. “What?”_

_“I’m assuming it’s not math,” Sasuke elaborated. “At school, what do you like?”_

_“Oh,” Naruto spoke. “Um… English.”_

_This time Sasuke turned to him. “English?”_

_“Yeah, I like English—I like how the same words and stories can mean different things to everyone and I like how the words people write and say can matter so much to other people and—“ Naruto stopped. He was ranting. “And yeah, that’s it.”_

_Sasuke smiled. “That makes sense.”_

_“Whaddaya mean?”_

_“For someone who loves to talk, English is a fitting preference.”_

_Naruto glared, “I don’t talk—” Sasuke raised a brow at him. Naruto switched his view to the fleeting houses outside the window. “I don’t talk that much.”_

_“I don’t mind it,” Sasuke revealed, ending with, “Dobe,” as if he said too much and calling him by his established nickname would shade the meaning behind his words._

_Naruto was silent. He’d wondered if Sasuke felt the same as he did. They didn’t quite talk as much when they were at school because of their opposing lunch schedules and also because Sasuke was in all the advanced classes so the only time Naruto saw the teme was after school. But after school, they studied together... a lot. After the first few weeks where he only came around one out of seven days, he now visited every time Sasuke said they needed to review previous concepts—which was often._

_“We’re here,” Sasuke announced, the car coming to a full stop outside a small picket-fence house._

_Naruto picked up his bag, turning to Sasuke. “Um… thanks for the ride.”_

_Sasuke “hn’d,” then added, “Next two weeks, we’ll have two more lessons… Kakashi gave me another student to tutor.” He pursed his lips, visibly aggravated. Most likely, their math teacher forced Sasuke to help another failing student—which made Naruto sad. He’d gotten so used to seeing Sasuke all the time, and now someone else was going to spend that time with him._

_“Yeah, sure… can’t take up all your time heh heh.” He pushed out a smile._

_Sasuke sighed. “Don’t worry, you’re prepared. But as a precaution—” he handed him a notebook he had tucked in the backseat pocket. “My notes—you can use them.”_

_Naruto’s gawked at the spiral notebook, “I—uh, thanks… really.”_

_“And Naruto,” Sasuke said, Naruto’s face heating up at how he said his name, “After exams are over… you should visit,” quickly adding, “If you don’t have any summer plans, that is.”_

_“I don’t—” he replied. “I mean… I don’t think I do. I’ll have to ask my foster dad, but yeah… we should hang out.”_

_Sasuke asked him to his house. Just to spend the days together._

_He opened the car door, flashing a grin at Sasuke and giving him a short salute. “I’ll see ya later.” Sasuke returned with a soft smile._

_“Hn.”_

_Naruto shut the car door and strutted up to the front of his house, leaning down to pick up the key he left under the mat—No._

_No, no, no, no._

_It wasn’t there._

_He turned back to Sasuke, waving at him again, his smile more strained this time. Sasuke ushered him to go in, waiting to see him safely inside his house before driving off._

_“Shit,” Naruto cursed under his breath. Why wasn’t the key there? Did he take it with him? He tried to remember but he was positive he didn’t._

_Slowly, he raised his hand and knocked twice on the door._

_No one answered._

_Naruto knocked again and waited, his foot tapping ferociously with his rising anxiety. The door finally opened, revealing Mizuki—his foster dad—staring blankly at him, his face turning into one of a loving father the minute he saw a car in the driveway. He waved, reeling Naruto inside, and the car drove off._

_Naruto attempted to scurry to his room when he heard the door lock click in place behind him and his foster dad call his name._

_“Where do you think you’re going?”_

_“I—“ Naruto stuttered. “I-I’m sorry, I couldn’t find the key and—“_

_“Do you know what time it is?”_

_“I’m s-sorr—“_

_“Tell me what the fucking time is!”_

_“Ten thirty…” Naruto whispered, eyes on the ground and hands clenched around the knot holding together the containers Mrs. Uchiha assembled for him._

_“What did I tell you about waking me up.”_

_“I’m sorry…”_

_“Fucking fat piece of shit,” he grabbed him by the collar, yanking him towards the kitchen. “And who was that in the car, huh?”_

_“P-ple—,” Naruto choked, trying to stretch out the cloth rubbing against his neck. “Please! I won’t do it again!”_

_“I ASKED, who was in the car?”_

_“Sasuke…” he mumbled. “My tutor.”_

_“Your tutor, hm?” Mizuki shoved him over the stray chair, “You fucking shit.”_

_He ripped the bag off Naruto’s back and snatched the boxes in his hands, hurling them aside. Naruto stared at the containers Sasuke’s mom had packed so kindly for him, the food now spilling out onto the dirty tile._

_“Sit up, fucker.”_

_Naruto quietly sat up and around, pulling off his shirt, his bare back exposed and awaiting the familiar punishment. Mizuki picked up the belt he kept in the kitchen for this reason._

_“Don’t fucking bother me again—” he whipped the belt._

_Naruto fisted his hands around the wooden bars, tears quickly sprouting._

_He whipped again._

_And again. And again. Until his back bled and cries became audible._

_“And for your ass fucking tutor,” Mizuki hissed, whacking the belt against his back one more time, Naruto nearly unconscious._

_Dropping the leather, Mizuki turned to leave, kicking the container of food on his way out and saying, “Clean this fucking shit up.”_

_Naruto’s soft cries switched to hard sobs a minute after Mizuki left, the pain overwhelming. He slowly eased off the chair, shoving some of the untainted food back into the container and wiping the rest off the floor and dumping it into the trash can. He stared at the spoiled meal sitting at the bottom of the tin can till his vision started blurring from the pooling water in his eyes._

_He shut the lid, lifted his bag, and limped one step at a time to his bedroom, quietly shutting the door behind him._

_Opening his desk drawer, he pulled out a bottle of lotion and alcohol wipes, stripping open the sealed case, unfolding the wipe, and smoothing it over his back._

_He cried again, it stung._

_Biting down to keep from making noise, he tried his best to clean the wounds and then applied the lotion, his ragged breaths calming with the cooling effect of the cream._

_Naruto realized pretty fast that his foster parent wasn’t like the last couple. Mizuki was much smarter. He gave him the basic necessities… but once in a while he lashed out. And when he did, he scarred him where no one could see._

_It was becoming unbearable._

_Naruto took his notebook out of his bag and ripped out a blank sheet of paper. Unzipping the front pocket, he fished for a pen and once he found one, he wrote._

_‘ **Dear Sasuke-teme** ’_

_Some of his tears slipped off his cheek and onto the dry parchment, blotting the dark ink. Naruto tried to wipe it off but it ended up smudging all over his finger and the paper. The frustration only made his tears grow thicker but he continued on and on, detailing how he’d grown fond of Sasuke over the past few months… and that he really liked him._

_Naruto was sure Sasuke liked him back. He asked him over to study together even when there wasn’t anything new to learn. That’s gotta mean something. And he was always nice to him, especially recently. And that one time Naruto didn’t come to the tutoring lesson because he felt sick from eating something bad, Itachi told him the next day he came that Sasuke was so worried he skipped dinner and breakfast._

_That’s surely gotta mean something..._

_Naruto scribbled his signature at the end and folded the paper, putting it in his bag._

_Naruto knew it all meant something._

_He would give the letter to Sasuke tomorrow. And Sasuke would take care of him._

 

* * *

 

Naruto pulled out his phone, scrolling to Itachi’s contact. He looked up at Gaara who nodded.

“I don’t know Gaara…”

His redhead roommate sighed. “Naruto, it needs to be in his knowledge.”

“He could live without knowing,” Naruto muttered, scrolling back and forth over the Itachi’s name on his phone, gnawing at his lips as he debated his choice.

“If you’re not comfortable, I can see him,” Gaara insisted again.

As Naruto’s best friend since moving to Suna, Gaara knew every detail about his life. The two of them somehow became inseparable after one class project together and Naruto found comfort in knowing Gaara always had his back, no matter what. But this was something he had to work through himself.

“No, I can do this,” Naruto sighed. He sensed this moment would surface sooner than later. The Uchihas were quite the catalysts in his life.

He finally clicked on Itachi’s contact, holding his breath and quickly typing up—

**I need to talk to you**

—hitting send.

Not even a second later, he received a reply:

 **I do as well**.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ll go back and edit once I have my laptop on me... but there it is! My phone-typed chapter lol.
> 
> Please let me know your thoughts!


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